The Role of Continental

This fall, the Continental-versus-Ivy controversy continues to rage – but only in the minds of the uninformed. For the fact is that there is no conflict, nor has there ever been one. The well-dressed men of this country will continue to favor Ivy for all casual and most day-to-day wear; Continental will be a more formal and dressier adjunct to the complete urban wardrobe. Where uncertainty does exist – and this is just as true among tailors as it is among the laity – is in the area of definition: just what is Continental?

In its most classic manifestation, Continental is definitely Italianate. It is characterized by the concept that clothes should fit the body just as gloves fit the hand. Jackets are short, and fitted to the point of almost being pinch-waisted. The jacket skirt is deeply cut away and rounded from the bottom button – a matter of some mental discomfort to the man with even a suggestion of good living around the middle. Sleeves are slender and tapered, lapels (about which more in a moment) are narrow. Trousers, too, are extremely narrow, tapered almost to snugness and detailed to show off slim-waistedness: front slash pockets rather than side pockets, often no back pockets at all, pleatless, cuffless. It is at the shoulders that the glove-fit dictum is abandoned; in the classic Continental there is a sufficient degree of padding to (continued on page 105) Role of Continental (continued from page 48) give a bit of added width, and a sharpness to the angle between jacket and sleeve – in marked contrast to the natural curve of Ivy.

All these influences are apparent to some degree in the modified Continental suits which find greater favor here than abroad, even among those men whose personalities thrive on being somewhat daring in dress, since the comfort and ease of motion to which Ivy has accustomed us is too dearly prized to be completely given up. In the modified Continental (as in all new styles of clothing in every era) there are wide oscillations in tailoring. The modifications all these suits share – less padding at the shoulder, less pinching at the waist, less cut-away curvature of the jacket skirt – show their Italianate heritage, but there their similarities give way to all manner of variations. Lapels may be shawl, semi-peaked, or high-peaked, though all are narrow. Vents may be side or center, or none. Breast pockets may or may not be present. Side pockets are slashed to varying degrees, some of them welted, some plain, some flapped. Jackets can be three- as well as two-button. The trousers may sport one narrow pleat. Some tailors who label their clothes Continental, cut and detail the trousers in exactly the same way that the newer Ivy slacks are cut – no belt loops, low "frontier" slash pockets (borrowed from Levis?) and a front overlap on the waistband.

The major aspect of the American Continental is its subtle suggestion of those details which characterize the extremer styles. Thus, it captures the general feeling of sophisticated elegance with a hint of fit at the waist, a bit of squaring in the shoulders but without padding, and with a slight shortening of the jacket. Many cutters, mindful of the urban popularity some years ago of the English Edwardian look, are cuffing jacket sleeves, with or without piping. Only a touch less formal than the extreme and modified Continental, the American version, which shows its Americanism in its relaxed comfort, attains its distinction via Continental detail rather than radical design. But in the American Continental, as in the modified, there is, this fall, a wide selection of tailoring variations – which you can exploit to your advantage. Basketball players and other tall types should seek the longer jackets of the American and modified styles. Men with a bit of executive spread where they sit will want to employ a rear-view mirror in deciding whether to go for no, side, or center venting. Such balefully negative considerations aside, the man who's shopping for Continental clothing owes it to himself to try a few of the many variations available before selecting those he'll buy.

And now we are ready to answer the question, if it still exists in anyone's mind: will Continental replace Ivy? Of course not. Like Ivy, it is more potent as an influence than as a national trend. Even today, only about 20 percent of the men's clothing sold in this country is genuine Ivy; but the reduction of padding and the general slimming (and the death of the double-breasted) which characterize 90 percent of men's clothing are evidences of the influence of Ivy. And so it is with Continental: the influence of the style will be widely felt, but the Continental suit itself will remain sufficiently rare to assure its wearers that added distinction of appearance which emanates from being tastefully apart from the herd. Good Ivy and good Continental are and will remain vital and complementary parts of the complete urban wardrobe. The former's correctness for casual and comfortable daily wear is matched by the latter's appropriateness for all those special occasions this side of the dinner jacket or tails.

The word Continental, of course, does not apply solely to suits. The accessories and haberdashery which live happily with your Ivy outfits will hardly do in company with Continental suits. Continental shoes are slimmer, thinner, more flexible; shirts are more form-fitting and have narrower sleeves (button-downs with Continental are as out as wide handpainted ties). Best collar style is the short spread, with round and tab running close seconds. Because more shirting shows 'neath the Continental jacket, you will want to pay greater attention to accompanying shirtings. Very Continental indeed are the demi-bosom shirt or microscopic pleats. Restrained patterned shirtings are also correct. Ties should be narrow and short enough so the ends don't protrude from the cutaway, short jackets.

As a matter of fact, the matter of correct accessories for the Continental suit can hardly be overstressed. You may choose to go hatless in Ivy, or let that shoeshine go another day; or you may affect a slouch-brimmed hat that it might be more suitable for fishing. No one will begrudge you these occasional eccentricities. But once you've donned a Continental suit, you should be meticulously attentive to its accessories – and to the condition they are in, unless you're content to be as oddball as a man wearing tux and sneakers. The right accoutrements, regularly accorded the ministrations of the valet shop, are an essential part of the Continental outfit. Top it off with a Homburg or bowler – and step out in Continental style.

Classic Continental by Andrew Pallack, $95.

Modified Continental by Daroff, "Botany" 500, $65.

American Continental